


Camp Freedom

by Theodosia15v1



Category: Minecraft (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Summer Camp, Fluff, How Do I Tag, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, M/M, Stars
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-05
Updated: 2021-02-17
Packaged: 2021-03-15 09:07:31
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 12,209
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28561044
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Theodosia15v1/pseuds/Theodosia15v1
Summary: Camp Freedom was advertised as one of those full proof conversion camps, the exact place George's parents wanted to send him to. The camps motto was "A place to give teens freedom from the world around them" - simple, right? Many parents would take it as freeing kids from the world filled with Homosexuality, and that's what people wanted them to think, but with a little bit of a deeper look, you can see the truth behind Camp Freedom.(If any mcyt cc's say this pairing makes them uncomfotable I will remove this story without hesitation)
Relationships: Clay | Dream/GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF)
Comments: 16
Kudos: 77





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Rochambeau](https://archiveofourown.org/works/5859670) by [goatFanatic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goatFanatic/pseuds/goatFanatic), [unshakespearean_archive (earthlinglia)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earthlinglia/pseuds/unshakespearean_archive). 



George has always been a smart kid, smart enough to hide his sexuality from his overly religious and homophobic parents for 3 years. He knew something was off with him when he didn't have any interest in the girls in his middle school, only the boys. One boy, in particular, his name was Nick and he had moved to the school in George's 8th-grade year, Nick was in 7th, he was taller than him but still fairly average, his wardrobe mainly consisted of a black t-shirt with a fire emblem on the front, black joggers, and a pair of black and white checkered vans. At the time Nick seemed equally as interested in George, he always seemed to laugh to himself when he caught George's gaze. However, before the two boys got a chance to get together Nick had to move again, and the two never saw each other again. 

George made sure never to slip up when talking to his parents about school, always made sure to weigh his words carefully before speaking. However, after the new year hit he found himself talking about old memories with some close online friends he had made. He slipped a comment about liking Nick without realizing his father was standing in the doorway of his room, you can guess what happened then. From that night in January, all the way to now in late June George was terrified of what this summer had in store for him. However, George had a little bit of a plan, there was a hidden book in his bookcase that had been hollowed out, containing a spare phone, accompanied with a charger and pair of earbuds. He had no idea what was ahead of him, so he had to be prepared, and he slipped the hollow book into his duffel bag.


	2. Chapter 2

George sat at his computer desk, knees pulled up to his chest, Camp Freedoms website pulled up on his monitor. He glanced down at the time and sighed, throwing his head back against his chair, the time read 4:45 a.m. He spent all night scrolling through the Camp website, trying to learn everything he could about it, from when it was founded to what he would need to bring for his 4-month stay, which he hadn't packed for yet. He reluctantly pulled himself up out of his seat and over to his wardrobe where he pulled out several outfits, the main color being Blue, of course, the only color he could see clearly. He folded and nicely packed his clothes, a few books, some toiletries, and his hollowed-out book of course. 

He sighed and put his bag on his computer chair before laying down in bed, he had to be up by 8, so 3 hours was better than nothing. He closed his eyes begging for sleep to come, but with all of the stress, he was under he ended up spending the rest of his night out on his balcony waiting for and watching the sunrise. At 8 o'clock he left his balcony and quietly slipped back into his room to get ready, he pulled on a white collared shirt, a baby blue slightly oversized jumper, a pair of ripped jeans, and his black high-top converse. He ruffled his hair slightly before brushing his teeth and grabbing his bag heading downstairs. He was met with his mother standing by the door with a sweet smile on her face, his mom was more understanding, but still uncomfortable when talking about anything LGBT related.

George pets his cat on the head one last time before following his mom out of the house and into the car. After getting settled and on the road his mom leaned over and grabbing one of his hands.

"George I know this sucks, and I'm sorry it has to be this way but imagine the friends you'll make." She said optimistically, when George stayed quiet she continued, "And if you like it you can go back next year, it's not only a camp that will help you through your phase, it'll help you stay closer to god, so you can go back as many times as you'd like."

"Thanks, mom, but I think I'll only need to go once," George said giving his mom's hand a gentle squeeze, he saw her nod out of the corner of his eye, then she smiled.

"I noticed you didn't grab anything for breakfast before we left, why don't we stop somewhere and get some food, maybe some coffee to get you through your first day?" She asked, George, held her hand a little tighter and nodded, feeling himself tear up a little.

He was petrified, to say the least, he had been reading about all the terrible things that conversion camps would do to kids. He knew it wouldn't work either, it never did, all night he had been going over pages and pages of studies saying that it didn't do anything except scare kids into submission. He knew he would fake it until he moved out and away from his parents, and then, and only then, he would be able to live "free". He shuddered at the thought, getting a girlfriend in college to keep his parents suspicion at bay, he would of course dump her after graduation and find a man, but even then, how would his parents react? Would they try and send him back? No, they wouldn't have custody of him then, but would they guilt him into going back to another one?

His mind swam with all these questions, and he was only pulled back up when his mom layed a hand on his cheek and tilted his head to look at her, only then he had realized they had already gotten and eaten their food and were sitting in the busy parking lot of Camp Freedom.


	3. Chapter 3

"Ok, George no matter what happens, know that I will love you no matter what. And I know your father and I have certain views, but if anything you know you have me on your side, so if this turns out to be more than a phase we will work with it, ok?" She said, George nodded and sighed as someone came and knocked on the window, his mom rolled it down.

"Hi! My name is Emily, what're your guys' names?" She asked sweetly, 

"My name is Monica, and this is my son George Davidson." His mom said motioning to the two of them,

"Alrighty George, you're all signed in, now tell me, is this your first time here?" She asked, giving him a warm smile, he shyly nodded, "That's why you seem so scared, don't worry, everything'll be just fine I promise you." She said, a slight giggle in her voice, George smiled a little and nodded.

George got out of the car and grabbing his duffel bag from the backseat, he waved goodbye to his mom and followed Emily out of the parking lot and to a field. 

"Ok George, since you're new here, I'm going to assign you to one of our veteran kids and they'll help you around today. Ah, Sapnap!" She called waving a boy over, he was wearing a white shirt, black sweats, and a pair of black standard tennis shoes, "I need you to watch over George here for the day, this is his first year with us."

"Wait, George as in George Davidson?" He asked looking at me, he nodded lightly messing with his sleeves,

He threw his arms around him and hugged him tightly, he hesitantly hugged him back and instantly remembered who he was.

"Wait... Nick... Armstrong?" He asked lightly, Nick nodded into his shoulder, George smiled and hugged back tightly. "Jeez, I haven't seen you since middle school. Wait, what are you doing here?"

"Well, I'm Bi, duh, this place is kinda like a paradise for closeted and open kids," Nick said letting go of George and resting a hand on his hip to look at him,

"What? I thought this place didn't like gay people..." George said quietly, Nick chuckled and shook his head,

"You don't know much about this place, do you? Don't worry, follow me and I'll show you around. By the way, call me Sapnap, it's what everyone around here says." Nick smiled and held his hand out to George, which he hesitantly took and was instantly dragged off.

Sapnap led George on a small forest path to the edge of a lake, from there to a big circular building with a dock leading out into the water, on the dock sat a couple of kids, seven from what George could see. They reached the dock and back to the group of kids, George's hand instinctively tightened slightly onto Sapnaps, he felt him squeeze his hand in return and they stopped in front of the kids. 

"Welcome back dude, that took way longer than you said it would." Someone said,

"Who's this?" Another asked, suddenly all eyes were on George, he shrunk back slightly and avoided all eye contact,

"This is an old friend of mine, George, George this is Skeppy, Bad, Tommy, Tubbo, Wilbur, Techo, and my partner Karl." He introduced, George lightly waved but kept his eyes to the floor, "Speaking of which, where is dream?"

As if on cue a man wearing a goldish yellow hoodie jumped on Sapnaps back almost knocking him over. The man instantly noticed George and smiled at him, he had dirty blond hair, freckles, and honey-laced eyes, George guessed they were green. His smile made George blush slightly and return his eyes to the floor.

"George, this is Dream, Dream this is my old friend George." Sapnap said mentioning to them both,

Dream smirked at George causing him to return his gaze to the floor once again. Before anyone could say anything a bell went off causing everyone to look back into the trees.

"Is it already that time?" The boy he believed was named Wilbur asked standing up, a blonde boy he remembered as Tommy groaned and got up after Wilbur. 

George grabbed lightly onto Sapnaps sleeve out of habit, to which he laughed at and threw his arm around the smaller boy.

"Don't worry George, this place isn't what it may look like, just trust me on this one, ok?" Sapnap whispered to him with a wink, he nodded and turned his gaze to the sky, the sun was almost to the middle, 

As he normally did George got lost in his mind for a few moments, and was finally pulled back into reality when he realized they were standing in front of a wooden building, the smell of sweets were making their way outside, and soon Sapnap was slowly making his way up the stairs with George still under his arm, and they disappeared into the building.


	4. Chapter 4

As George's eyes adjusted to the dimmer light, the colors of all the flags popped out to him, but not the flags of the world, sexuality flags, and gender flags. His eyes went wide as he looked around at all the kids filling the area, his shoulders slouched slightly and Sapnap lightly squeezed his shoulder and let his arm drop down to his side. 

"Hey Sap, George should bunk with me, you, and Karl." Dream said, Sapnap nodded and they began talking, his heart began to race he felt a hand on his shoulder, he looked over his shoulder to see Karl,

"Hey, George right? Name's Karl, you seem tense, is everything ok?" He asked, his voice light and laced with concern,

"I don't like big crowds, makes me anxious." He said lightly, Karl nods and motions for him to follow, he hesitantly follows him,

Karl leads him towards a set of closed doors, the opposite of where the kids seemed to endlessly flow through, they lean against the wooden wall and Karl wraps an arm around George's shoulder, he thankfully tucks himself away slightly into the boy's side. 

"It'll be ok, it'll get really loud here soon, are you sensitive to anything like that?" He asked keeping his voice light, George nodded, the memories of his parents yelling instantly flowed into his mind, "Ok, well when that starts we can slip out these doors next to us, they'll go over all the important stuff before then so you won't miss anything."

George nodded and looked around the area, the colorful flags made him feel safe, something he didn't realize he could feel in a place like this.

"Which one is yours?" Karl asked, his eyes drawn to the colors as well, George laughed slightly,

"Isn't this a conversion camp?" He asked dryly, Karl laughed,

"That's what most conservative parents think, but really camp freedom is a haven for closeted and open kids alike. That's why on days like today, and the last day of camp they don't let the parents get out of the cars, and why the edges of camp look so bland." Karl explains, George nods and smiles lightly,

"The rainbow one, though I'd never admit that to my parents." He scoffed, Karl laughed beside him, "What about you?"

"The Bisexual one, and the trans one." He said, George nodded and moved his eyes to look at the people surrounding him,

"There are so many kids here, was it always like this?" George asked, Karl, shrugged,

"My first year there were about half the amount of kids, but the last few years numbers have jumped a lot," Karl said laughing, George nodded, 

Before George could talk more a woman stood on one of the tables and started speaking.

"Good morning kids of Camp Freedom! For all you new kids my name is Andrea and I'm the camp founder! Right now y'all are in the dining hall, as you can guess you'll be having meals here, and here we will tell you your activities for the day. Speaking of which, today you will make your cabins, 4 people per cabin max, then you'll get settled and join your groups for orientation! Grades 9 and 10 will be with Alice here, and Grades 11 and 12 will be with me in the indoor activities hall!" She explained, kids cheered and adults positioned around the room laughed along with Andrea, "Alrighty gays and theys, let's get this started!"

Karl motioned to the door and they both quickly snuck out, just as the door shut music started to play. George sighed gratefully and the two sat on the steps outside the dining hall.

"Thank you, Karl," George said bringing his knees up to his chest, Karl shrugged and laid down on the ground with his legs resting on the steps next to George.

"Don't worry about it, there was a kid a couple of years ago who had a panic attack in the middle of all of that, and with how nervous you seemed already I wanted to make sure," Karl explained closing his eyes, George nodded,

"Hey Karl, can I ask you something?" George asked, Karl, nodded but kept his eyes closed, "Why did you come here?" 

Karl smiled and opened his eyes to look at George, his eyes were soft.

"Fine, but you have to tell me your story after, alright?" George nodded quickly and leaned forward slightly, Karl laughed and turned his gaze back to the sky,

"My grandparents were hellbent on getting a granddaughter, and since they found out my mom was pregnant they prayed every day that I would be their perfect little girl. My parents always said they wanted me to be what I wanted to be, and when I was in 8th grade I told my parents I wanted to be a boy, and they happily took me to get a haircut, a binder, and some new clothes. However, the first time my grandparents saw me they reported my parents to CPS, saying they were abusing me and forcing me to act like a guy, since the investigation is still open I have to stay with my grandparents, meaning they "force" me to go here. Though now I'm not complaining, just sucks that I have to act like a girl around my grandparents." Karl said George nodded, Karl laughed and turned to look at George, "However, I got a call yesterday saying the investigation was coming to a close, so hopefully that means good news coming my way."

"Well, I hope you get to go back to your parents, they seem really nice," George said smiling, Karl nodded,

"They really are, and they like Nick, they haven't met him in person yet but they have talked to him while the two of us were here at camp," Karl explains, George nodded, You're friends with Nick right?" 

"Well... We were friends at least, we were close in middle school, but he had to move away and I haven't seen him in... well... 3 years now." George said, Karl, nodded and sat up,

"Your turn now George, what brings you to camp?" Karl asked, George, rolled his eyes, but before he could say anything the door behind him opened, a boy with braided pink hair poked his head out,

"Hey, we're done in here and we're heading to orientation now, come on." He said flatly, Karl nodded and got up, holding a hand out and pulled George up.

"George, this is Techno, I don't think you two properly met earlier," Karl said, the pink-haired boy held out his hand and shook his hand,

"Name's Technoblade, and listen if my brother Tommy says anything stupid about me don't believe him." He said rolling his eyes, George giggled a little,

"I'll keep that in mind, you come here with family?" George asked, Techno nodded and rested a hand on his hip,

"Yeah, me, my brother Tommy, and my brother Wilbur all come here together. In any case, we gotta go, what grade are you in?" Techno asked,

"I'm in 12th," George said, Techno nodded and motioned them both to follow him back inside.

They made their way through the sea of younger kids and back out through the original doors they came through, they crossed a yard and entered another big open building where kids were beginning to sit and form a circle. Karl wrapped an arm around George and led him to where the kids he saw earlier were sitting.

"Karl! George! There you two are! Hey, Dream and I signed you two up to be in our cabin, you guys are ok with that right?" Sapnap asked, the two boys nodded and sat down with the others, "What were you two doing anyway?"

"George said he didn't like loud noises so we sat outside while everything was crazy inside," Karl explained, George nodded and felt a pair of eyes on him he looked up to see those golden eyes staring back at him, he slightly hid behind his sleeve and looked away, already feeling his cheeks heat up.

The rest of the kids around them talked as him and the golden-eyed boy snuck glances at each other, soon he noticed the same woman from earlier getting ready to speak again, he tore his attention away from Dream and focused on the woman.


	5. Chapter 5

"Alright campers, I know I said this earlier, but if you're new my name is Andrea and I am the founder of our hideaway camp. Now, let's circle up for orientation." Her voice was soft this time, energetic, but still soft and sweet, we did as she said and she stood in the ring of kids, "Now, for those of you who are new this is how this'll work, Gen here is going to start, and we are going to go around and say name, age, gender, pronouns, and how many years you've been here."

She clapped his hands and looked to a kid next to her, they nodded and tucked a strand of faded purple hair behind their ear.

"Hello, my name is Gen, I'm 18, I am a trans female, I go by she/they pronouns, and this is my third year here," Gen said, kids continued to go down the line, each person making George fidget more and more,

Dream who had somehow ended up sitting beside him noticed this and grabbing his hand and rubbed circles into the back of his hand, slowly calming him down, soon it was George's turn, and his heart rate jumped.

"U-Uhm, my name is George, I'm 18, I am male, he/him pronouns, and this is my first year here," George said keeping his gaze on the floor, Dream kept his constant circles helping to keep George grounded in the moment,

"Well, welcome George, it's very nice to have you join us this year," Andrea said, George smiled and nodded slightly,

"Hi, you guys can call me Dream, I'm 17, male, he/him, and this is my fourth year here," Dream said, George, squeezed his hand lightly as a sign of thank, Dream smiled and squeezed back,

The kids kept going down the line and soon everyone was introduced, Andrea stood up again and began passing around a stack of sticky notes and a cup of pens.

"Ok everyone, now this activity has three parts, on the sticky note you're given I want you to write a hateful word you've been called in the past, the next part of the activity will be giving your story on this word, the third part of the activity will be tearing up your word and throwing it away. Now, it's fine if you don't want to participate in the second part of this activity, however, this is to help you connect with your fellow campers, showing everyone they aren't alone in their experiences. This time let's go backward, Sam when you're ready, and if you want to share you can start." Andrea said, she passed a trash bin in front of the boy and nodded to him.

He saw the boy take a deep breath and stared down at his note, he then shook his head and tore the note in half, and put it in the trash bin, he then passed it to the girl next to him and the cycle continued. A lot of stories were shared, a few were passed, and soon it was Dreams turn, his hand still rubbing circles into George's hand.

"Ok, I wrote Nola, it's a word that people call non-masculine men, as most of you know I don't like being called weak, never have, and I doubt I ever will. My dad used to call me this before I left home..." His voice trailed off at the end, George squeezed his hand again, receiving a squeeze in return, he cleared his throat and turned to George, "You're turn."

George looked down at his word paper, folded just right so the two boys sitting either-side of him couldn't see it, heavily debating explaining, he shook his head and let go of Dreams hand to tear up his paper and toss it, quickly returning his hand to Dreams, which he gladly held and continued his circles.

The circle finished out and Andrea stood once again.

"I am so proud of all of you, even if you didn't share your story it takes a lot of courage to write down something, and even more courage to tear it up and leave it behind you, especially if it's your first year with us. Now, your bags have been sent to your respective cabins and the day is yours, thank you all for trusting the process this morning, the only things on your schedule today is lunch and dinner, and that is all, have a good day you guys!" Andrea finished, everyone got up and started flowing out of the activity hall.

Dream stood up first and pulled George up with him, he kept their hands interlocked as they followed Sapnap and Karl to the cabin where the four of them would spend the rest of their summer. 

The cabin was fairly spacious, two sets of bunk beds were placed against the east and west walls, there was a curtained off doorway on the back wall, the middle of the cabin was open, a dark blue circular rug decorated the middle space.

"George, I take the top and you take bottom?" Karl asked tossing a duffle bag onto one of the bunk beds, George nodded, released Dreams hand, and set his bag on the bottom bunk underneath Karl.

"You are Dream seen to be getting along well George," Sapnap said with a teasing tone, George blushed and shook his head,

"Oh come on now." Dream laughed tossing a bag onto the top of the other bunk set.

"What? Are you going to sit there and tell me I'm wrong? You and George have been holding hands for the past half hour." Sapnap said hanging off Dreams shoulder, "Oh! Hey George! What color is that rug?"

"It's blue," George said with a small sigh, Karl hung down next to him from his bunk,

"What? It's purple, our cabin is the purple cabin." Karl said, George, laughed slightly,

"I'm colorblind, red-green colorblind to be specific." He explained,

"Wait, they what color is my hoodie for you George?" Dream asked, he turned around and studied his hoodie for a second before shrugging,

"Yellow, so are your eyes, but they're more of a gold," George explained, Dream laughed as did Sapnap, but Karl just shook his head,

"My hoodies green George, so are my eyes." Dream said with a giggle, George rolled his eyes,

"Well, the color is really pretty, reminds me of the stars," George said with a smile, his eyes drifting back to the floor, Karl sat upon his knees and clapped his hands,

"I say we unpack, get lunch, and take a nap, then we'll have the energy for the fire tonight!" He said excitedly, George tilted his head,

"I thought we had nothing else scheduled except for the meals." He said, Karl nodded,

"That's the only things Andrea has scheduled, this is something we all do at the beginning of the summer, it's your choice but I hope you join us," Karl said, George thought for a moment, 

"Is there a clear view of the sky from where you'll be?" George asked, resting his forearms on the frame of the top bunk, Karl laid on his stomach in front of George,

"There's a crazy good stargazing spot right off where we'll be," Karl said winking, George laughed,

"Then sure, I'll join you guys," George said sitting on his bed, Sapnap threw his arms in the air and laughed,

The boys all laughed at Sapnaps outburst and began to unpack, it wasn't long before George came across his hollowed-out box, he smiled lightly and took out a note from his pocket, the same word from earlier was written, he folded up the piece of paper and slipped it into the box, which he hid under his bed tucked into a corner near the front. 

He sat back down on his bed and turned his attention to the other side of the room, Dream and Sapnap were wrestling on the ground and Karl was sitting with his legs crossed across the room from him, they locked eyes and he smiled at him, he smiled back, a silent contract was signed between the two, one that promised to keep the two other boys safe this summer.

And George was hellbent on keeping that promise.


	6. Chapter 6

George found himself standing beside Karl as they made their way down the dirt path behind Sapnap and Dream, the two boys were in a comfortable silence as George kept his gaze to the sky. Soon, the four had reached a clearing in the woods, a fire was already lit and a few people had already gathered around it.

"George, right over there, through those two oak trees, that's the clearing I was talking about. You can stay here or go over there, the choice is yours, but I'll be here if you need me." Karl said, George, nodded and silently slipped through the two trees,

It was a small cliff that overlooked the lake, it wasn't very high off the ground, it looked to be just over a six-foot drop. George's eyes immediately snapped up, the glowing bright lights around him instantly filling him with a sense of happiness. He sat down and started doing what he always did, he searched for constellations and made his own. He didn't know how long he was there before being pulled out of his trance, but the noise from behind him was enough to make him jump, his eyes landed on the pink-haired boy and he calmed down slightly.

"Hey, what are you doing over here by yourself?" He asked, George, shrugged,

"Peaceful," George answered lightly, he returned his gaze to the sky as Techno spoke,

"Mind if I sit with you?" He asked shyly, George shook his head and patted the spot next to him, Techno sat down with a small smile, "Have you always been this attracted to stars?"

"It's a long story," George said, laughing slightly, Techno shrugged,

"We have all night, and it would be nice to listen to someone soft-spoken talk for a bit," Techno said, the two boys chuckled at this and George nodded.

"I can’t count how many times I’ve sat next to my window with my cheek pressed against the warm glass, the heat coming from the humid air outside that was trying to fight its way in," He started, 

"At the time the large window in the back of my room was the farthest I could physically get away from the fighting, but mentally I was lightyears away playing in stardust, everything calm, bright, and warm. It would glow like the fairy lights that hang from my ceiling, weightless, but a texture like snow. I remember it falling as if you were dropping sand underwater and watching it slowly fall to the bottom again. Slow, calm, and quiet, not quite enough to drive you crazy, a dull white noise filled the silent void that seemed to surround my safe area hidden in the stars. After the accident my dad had with knocking over an ashtray during one of my parents' fights, I convinced my mom to buy me glow in the dark stars that I put up all over my closet," He continued, he shifted his eyes from the sky to the grass below him.

"Every time they fought, I would hide away in my closet with my tablet and listen to music while drawing new shapes and patterns in my mind in the dark. I remember coming out of my hiding spots at late hours of the night, wanting to go to bed, but my mind lost in the patterns I had made, wanting to find them for real," He said, Techno nodded beside him,

"In the summer I would sit by my window till early morning, and when I heard one of my parents heading downstairs, I would follow behind, sit on the front porch, and watch the sunrise. The stars disappearing in the dawn sky, all the feelings I had from the night before disappearing with the lights, the temporary feeling of loneliness disappearing with it. I think that’s why I’ve always been a sucker for sunrises, the pretty colors filling the sky, taking all the bad thoughts with it. But with everything soon the bright sky would dim and the dark thoughts would resurface again."

"This is why I don’t like the dark. The only thing I can appreciate about it is the stars. Normally, when the sky went dark and the lights came out the constant little bickering that happened in the daylight turned into screaming when the sun disappeared nothing was ever peaceful, except when they would fall asleep, just like every night," His voice became soft, his words coming just above a whisper as he looked up to the stars,

"Things eventually calmed down. My dad left his job and got one in town, my parents got counseling, and soon the constant nights staying up till four in the morning and becoming hypersensitive to all the noise seemed like a past life or a memory from when you were a little. Their fights are a supernova, the silent days prior like the calm nature of the universe seconds before the explosion of a massive star, then returning to the calm state again."

"Sometimes multiple would explode at one and simple arguments that lasted a few hours, would turn into a few days, and sometimes into a few weeks. The stardust from the explosion would find its way to my paradise in the stars mixing in with my version of perfect, making everything dirty. Forcing me to close off and try to fix it, but in turn, damaging myself in the process. It’s a balance I’ve tried to master since I was young, but even now, the power seems out of my control."

"But for now, I’m content with my little life hidden in the stars, closing off when I know a supernova will go off, in preparation for all the dirty and hostile stardust making its way towards me at lightning speed. Tracing new shapes in my mind, and finding them for myself after the calm has returned to the universe. Trying my hardest to find the balance between the real world, and the safe space I’ve created in my mind." He finished, his eyes went wide and he turned back to Techno, "I'm sorry that was a lot really quickly."

"No no, it's fine, that was actually really well said, I liked it." He said smiling, George laughed slightly and scratched the back of his neck, 

"I suppose since you told me a story I should tell you one too? Maybe like the one Karl told you this morning?" He asked, George, nodded making Techno laugh,

"When you talked about your parents fighting it reminded me of my old parents, they were addicted to drugs, and I had to fend for myself most nights. Then I met my dad, his name is Phil, he took me in one night with no questions asked, he then got into contact with my real parents who at that point forgot I existed and adopted me. Then Tommy and Wilbur became my brothers, we didn't find this place because he wanted to convert us, he wanted us to have a safe space to experiment, and be free to be ourselves with zero judgment from the outside world. That's why it's called Camp Freedom, and that's why it's so important." He finished, George smiled and nodded,

"I'm glad you felt comfortable telling me all that," George said pulling his knees up to his chest and resting his head on his forearms, Techno laughed,

"You started it, it was only fair I countered with something just as emotional. But the way you worded your story was really nice, felt like I was in your position when you were talking about your safe space," He said laying on his back, George nodded and returned his gaze to the sky, soon a noise from behind them caught their attention, a tall brunette stepped slightly into the clearing,

"Hey, it's time to head back to the cabins, oh and George, Dream is looking for you." He said, George nodded and the two boys headed back into the forest to help put out the fire and clean up some empty beer bottles that seemed to make their way into the group of boys,

He finished cleaning up and made his way back to his cabin, there he found Dream lightly swaying from side to side. When he saw George his face lit up and he smiled making George giggle. When he was close enough Dream pulled him into a hug, his larger hands ghosting over George's small body like he was a doll. George rested his head against Dreams shoulder, grabbed Dreams wrists, and pressed his hands firmly against his back.

"I'm not a piece of china Dream." He said with a laugh, Dream laughed with him and tightened his grip slightly, "There you go, you big softy."

"Hey, George?" Dreams voice was light and soft, the smell of cheap alcohol filled the air between in two, "Can I sleep with you tonight? I can't get some bad thoughts to go away..."

His voice trailed off at the end making George worry, he pulled away just enough to see Dreams face, newly formed tears were streaming down his face. He rested his hand on Dreams cheek and nodded before leaning forward and giving him a light, quick kiss on the cheek. Dream smiled and dried his tears slightly before George pulled him inside the cabin, the other two boys were already fast asleep in their respective bunks. Dream then took the blanket from his bunk and tucked it under Karl's mattress, making a screen between the bed and the rest of the room. In some dazed happy state from his talk with Techno, George didn't find it embarrassing when Dream climbed on top of him and laid his head on the smaller boy's chest. George wrapped his arms around Dreams shoulders and slowly moved Dream onto his side next to him, which Dream immediately moved back to snuggle into George's chest. He giggled lightly and kissed Dream lightly on his forehead, Dream started to rub light circles into his spine, almost instantly knocking him out.


	7. Chapter 7

George woke up alone, the sheet still hung in front of him shielding the cabin from his sight, streams of light hit the bedsheet from the other side of the room creating patterns that seemed to dance along with the fabric. George sat in a state of bliss watching the dancing light, all noise around him seemed to disappear, all the worries he had about this summer falling to silence. Then suddenly, a crash from the other side of the room caused him to sit up quickly, he slowly pulled the sheet a little so he could see the room that laid beyond. Karl was laying in Sapnaps bunk cuddling one of his pillows half asleep, and Dream and Sapnap were wrestling on the floor, Karl's sleepy eyes drifted to George and he gave him a little wave, he did the same. 

George quietly pulled the sheet down from under Karls bed and let it softly fall to the floor, the two boys on the floor didn't seem to notice, they also didn't notice when George stood up and grabbed a small bad full of toiletries and some clothes and motioned for Karl to do the same. Karl smiled lightly before sitting up and lightly fluffing his hair, he silently got up and grabbed a string backpack that was sitting next to the bunk and they both headed outside.

"Good morning by the way," George said lightly, his British accent becoming heavy from his tiredness,

"G'morning, sorry if they woke you," Karl said, rubbing his eyes, George shook his head,

"It's fine, how long have they been up?" George asked, Karl, shrugged,

"Maybe 15 minutes, they always do this in the mornings," Karl explained as they made it to the bathhouse just a little ways away from their cabin, "I should ask though I probably already know, are you a morning or a night shower person?"

"Normally night if I'm honest, I don't fully get the idea of showering in the morning, but sometimes it's nice," He said,

Karl hummed a response as they got into the shower cubicles right next to each other, they continued small chatter as they showered, got dressed, and made their way back to the cabin.

"Hey, we should make that a routine, 2 or 3 days out of the week we go and shower together after dinner, or if we have a fire the next morning," Karl suggested, George nodded running a hand through his hair,

They walked back into the cabin to see Sapnap and Dream both sprawled out on the floor, both panting heavily, Karl and George both laughed softly.

"So who won this morning boys?" Karl asked as he set his bag next to the bunk again, Sapnap quickly sat up,

"Where did you two go!?" He said quickly, Dream caught George's eye making him lightly smile and blush while looking away,

"George and I went to go shower, I'm surprised you two didn't realize," Karl said, Sapnap groaned and laid on his back again making the other 3 laugh,

"Breakfast should start soon right? Should we get going?" George asked looking at the sheet of paper in his hand that held the schedule, Karl nodded,

"We might have to wait for these two goofs to get ready, or you and I could leave now and get there a little early," Karl suggested, Sapnap sat up again,

"But you can't do that! Give me like two minutes!" Sapnap said quickly getting up, pulling Dream up with him,

Karl and George laughed as the two rushed to get into daywear, while messing with his hair in the mirror George noticed the simple outfit he grabbed before they left. George was wearing a royal blue t-shirt, navy shorts, and a pair of black converse. He looked over to Karl who was wearing a purple hoodie, light gray cargo shorts, and a pair of black and purple checkered vans. Sapnap had quickly thrown on a white t-shirt, a pair of black shorts, and was pulling on some gray standard tennis shoes. Dream had lazily pulled on a white t-shirt, black athletic shorts, white and red tennis shoes, and was pulling his gold hoodie on. 

Karl nodded to George before the four of them started to make their way down to the mess hall area. George and Sapnap held small chatted all the way while Dream and Karl whispered about something while walking behind the two.

George shrugged it off as they entered the dining hall, they get their food and go sit at an empty table, calm settles among the group for a few minutes until one of Techno’s brothers comes up and hits the table before sitting down, George flinches at the sudden action. Dream, who had taken his place next to George like usual, rested a hand on his back and leaned in next to his ear.  
“Everything ok?” He asked, his voice light and laced in worry, the warm air made goosebumps rise on the back of his neck, he nodded lightly before they both returned to their meal,  
They had a few more minutes of quiet before Andrea stood on one of the tables and began speaking.

“Alright campers! Good morning! Today we’ll keep it easy on you, each cabin will get a hiking trail to follow, your goal today is to reach the end, retrieve what is there and bring it back to me or one of your guides, after that the rest of the day is yours. Lunch will have no set time today so before you leave grab something to eat on your trip and grab something to eat when you come back. Determine a leader for your cabin and make sure they grab a bag with water and snacks that we have up here in the front, both the end prize and the bag must be returned at the end of your adventure to count you as finished. Dinner will be a set time like usual so please make sure to be back before then. First 3 teams back will get 3 passes to skip activities that they can use at any point during your stay, thank you and good luck campers!” She finished, stepping down from the table, as she was talking a couple papers were set down in front of us,

George grabbed the sheet that had the four of their names written at the top, the trip was 6 miles in total, George laughed slightly at the distance, he took Cross Country throughout highschool this next school year being his last. Since he was one of the more advanced kids on his team, him and some other kids would run 10 miles almost everyday for practice, he got his time down to about 15 minutes, if he was having a good day 13. 

“So what path are we on Georgie?” Sapnap asked leaning over his shoulder slightly, George shot Sapnap an annoyed look making him laugh,  
“It says trail 5, 6 miles total.” He said, Sapnap groaned and rested all his weight on Georges shoulder,

“That’s so far.” He groaned, George just rolled his eyes and shook his head,

“I’ll go and grab the bag if you guys want.” Dream spoke up, Sapnap nodded and he stood up,

“Hey George, before we head out can I talk to you about something?” Karl asked also standing up, George nodded and followed Karl outside, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah, why?” George asked, Karl leaned against the wall,

“When Tommy hit the table earlier you flinched pretty bad, I just wanted to make sure you were ok.” He explained, “Do you want to talk about it?”

“It’s nothing Karl, he just surprised me is all.” George lied, Karl nodded,

“You know I know you’re lying, right?” He said lightly, George nodded and avoided Karls eyes, he sighed lightly and hugged George who reluctantly hugged back, “Lisen, I get if you don’t want to talk about it, but know that I’m always here for you if you need me.”

George nodded into Karl’s shoulder, he sighed and took a step back.

“I trust you Karl, I really do, it’s just-” George cut himself off as the door opened next to Karl revealing Sapnap and Dream,

“Hey, you two good?” Sapnap asked, Karl nodded,

“Remember what I said, we can talk later if you want to, alright?” He asked wrapping an arms around George, he nodded and leaned into Kalrs side,

The four of them headed on their way, Karl moved to standing next to Sapnap in front of Dream and George who now stood next to each other. Dream lightly grabbed his hand and went close to his ear again.

“You sure you’re ok?” He asked, George squeezed his hand lightly and shook his head, Dream instantly wrapped an arm protectively around George and pulled him closer, George silently thanked him by lightly pressing himself into Dreams side,

They continue their hike like that, Karl and Sapnap joking and laughing ahead of them and Dream and George off in their own little world together silently taking in the beauty of the forest. He noticed the way the sunlight danced across the tree leaves like they did against the sheet this morning. The bright flowers that lined the path in small clumps contrasted with the dirt and deep green of the grass around it, it was instantly apparent that the land was well taken care of, deep rich colors surrounded them that paired nicely with the bright sky above them, the clouds bright white and puffy. The serenity of it all was enough to make anyone calm, it was enough to make anyone forget about the problems outside of its grasp, and that’s what George desperately needed in that moment. From this morning memories with his dad came back in waves, memories he had suppressed and almost forgot about, he could feel his anxiety spike from earlier starting to go down as they made their way deeping into the trees, the humidity in the air keeping them warm even after the sun was hidden by the trees overhead.


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This isn't the way I wanted this chapter to go, I had it all written out and then my computer crashed making me lose it all, so this is my second draft, so it's a little shorter than what I normally do, enjoy!

The calmness of the forest weighed heavy on George's mind, making him tired, the humidity covered him like a blanket. His pace slowed from the rest of the Group, at this point Dream and Sapnap were busy making jokes with each other, and Karl was looking over the artifact they had to bring back with them. None of them realized George slow, nor him stopping and staring at something deep in the forest. Something shiny had caught his eye, it looked pristine but slightly hidden in the underbrush of a bush near the path. He took one look forward to the boys who still walked on and walked into the forest. 

He slowly pulled out the object, it was a camera, a polaroid, a note was taped to the top. The polaroid was filled with perfect untouched film, it looked like it had never been used, fresh out of the box. George picked up the note and unfolded it slowly, a photo slid out and onto the ground in front of him. He picked it up and examined it. It was a picture of a lagoon sitting next to what looked like a cliff, the area surrounding it covered in dense trees, he picked up the note before jumping at the sound of people walking coming towards him, he quickly grabbed the three items and hid away in the dense treeline, resting his back against a tree with his back facing the path. 

He looked down at the photo again and noticed a date and a location. September 25th, 2015, Freedom. On the back were loose directions, north from the councilors cabin to the second river crossing, left to the cliffside, right through the forest to the lake. He looks back down to the letter, curiosity filling him as he notices the fancy lettering of it. He pulled his knees up to his chest and began reading.

𝘋𝘦𝘢𝘳...

the name is smudged and unreadable.

𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘪𝘯𝘥 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘺𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘴 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘦𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘐 𝘤𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘴𝘬𝘦𝘥 𝘧𝘰𝘳, 𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘴𝘶𝘮𝘮𝘦𝘳𝘴 𝘵𝘰𝘨𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳 𝘩𝘢𝘷𝘦 𝘣𝘭𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘦𝘥 𝘣𝘦𝘢𝘶𝘵𝘪𝘧𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘸𝘦 𝘤𝘢𝘭𝘭 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘱𝘦𝘳𝘧𝘦𝘤𝘵. 𝘉𝘶𝘵 𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘣𝘪𝘥 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘸𝘦𝘭𝘭, 𝘮𝘺 𝘧𝘢𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘺 𝘪𝘴 𝘧𝘰𝘳𝘤𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘢𝘸𝘢𝘺, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘢 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘶𝘱 𝘯𝘰𝘳𝘵𝘩, 𝘔𝘪𝘤𝘩𝘪𝘨𝘢𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘴𝘢𝘺. 𝘐 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘵𝘦𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘮 𝘯𝘰 𝘱𝘭𝘢𝘤𝘦 𝘪𝘯 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘶𝘭𝘥 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘬 𝘣𝘦𝘵𝘵𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘩𝘢𝘯 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘸𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘭𝘪𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘯, 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘺 𝘯𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳 𝘥𝘰. 𝘚𝘰 𝘴𝘸𝘦𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘢𝘳𝘵 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵, 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘶𝘨𝘩 𝘪𝘵 𝘱𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘴 𝘮𝘦 𝘵𝘦𝘳𝘳𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘺 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘴𝘰. 𝘐 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘯𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘷𝘦, 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘵𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘮𝘦 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘥𝘰 𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘺𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘮𝘺 𝘱𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘳 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘺 𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘺𝘰𝘶, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘩𝘰𝘸 𝘱𝘶𝘴𝘩𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘰𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘤𝘢𝘯 𝘣𝘦, 𝘦𝘴𝘱𝘦𝘤𝘪𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘳. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘸𝘦 𝘮𝘦𝘦𝘵 𝘢𝘨𝘢𝘪𝘯 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘥𝘢𝘺 𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪, 𝘪𝘧 𝘸𝘦 𝘥𝘰 𝘮𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘮𝘢𝘺 𝘐 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬 𝘵𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘢𝘴 𝘲𝘶𝘪𝘤𝘬𝘭𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯, 𝘩𝘰𝘸𝘦𝘷𝘦𝘳, 𝘪𝘧 𝘪𝘵 𝘪𝘴 𝘪𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘴𝘪𝘣𝘭𝘦, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘢𝘪𝘵 𝘧𝘰𝘳 𝘮𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘣𝘦 𝘩𝘢𝘱𝘱𝘺, 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘥𝘦𝘴𝘦𝘳𝘷𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘬𝘦𝘦𝘱 𝘶𝘱 𝘴𝘰𝘮𝘦𝘵𝘩𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘧 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘪𝘴 𝘤𝘰𝘯𝘴𝘵𝘢𝘯𝘵𝘭𝘺 𝘱𝘶𝘭𝘭𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘶𝘴 𝘢𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘵. 𝘋𝘰 𝘸𝘩𝘢𝘵 𝘮𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘴 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘴𝘮𝘪𝘭𝘦, 𝘥𝘰𝘯'𝘵 𝘸𝘰𝘳𝘳𝘺 𝘢𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘵 𝘮𝘦, 𝘐'𝘭𝘭 𝘵𝘳𝘺 𝘮𝘺 𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘵 𝘵𝘰 𝘨𝘦𝘵 𝘣𝘢𝘤𝘬, 𝘐 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘮𝘰𝘯 𝘤𝘩𝘦𝘳𝘪, 𝘐 𝘬𝘯𝘰𝘸 𝘪𝘵'𝘴 𝘵𝘢𝘬𝘦𝘯 𝘮𝘦 𝘢 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘵𝘰 𝘴𝘢𝘺 𝘪𝘵, 𝘣𝘶𝘵 𝘐 𝘥𝘰. 𝘔𝘢𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘶𝘯𝘪𝘷𝘦𝘳𝘴𝘦 𝘱𝘪𝘵𝘺 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘵𝘸𝘰 𝘩𝘶𝘮𝘢𝘯𝘴 𝘪𝘯 𝘭𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘐 𝘸𝘪𝘭𝘭 𝘳𝘦𝘵𝘶𝘳𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘴𝘰𝘰𝘯 𝘢𝘴 𝘐 𝘤𝘢𝘯, 𝘐 𝘱𝘳𝘰𝘮𝘪𝘴𝘦.

𝘓𝘰𝘷𝘦, 𝘺𝘰𝘶𝘳 𝘰𝘯𝘦 𝘢𝘯𝘥 𝘰𝘯𝘭𝘺, 𝘒𝘪𝘺𝘢

George's heart sinks, the thought of parents splitting up what seemed like soulmates would make anyone's heart tear at the thought. He flipped the note over and saw another type of handwriting on the back.

𝓦𝓱𝓮𝓷 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓷, 𝓯𝓲𝓷𝓭 𝓽𝓱𝓮 𝓵𝓪𝓴𝓮, 𝓘'𝓵𝓵 𝔀𝓪𝓲𝓽 𝓾𝓷𝓽𝓲𝓵 𝔂𝓸𝓾 𝓻𝓮𝓽𝓾𝓻𝓷

-𝓚𝓪𝓭𝓮

George sighs at the thought, even if the two were both in 9th grade when entering here, they both would be gone by now. His mind started to wander and think if the two ever found each other again, he let his mind run with the thought, Dreams name continuously popping into his head. He shook off the thought and stood up, he grabbed the items and slipped the note and photo into his pocket, and he slipped the camera around his neck and quickly made his way back to the cabin. 

When he arrived no one was inside, so he was quick to hide the camera and note under his bed, but the sound of talking outside made his heart race. He was quick to make his way into the hidden backroom in the cabin, and the door opened, he quietly listened in while staying perfectly hidden. He instantly heard Dreams voice.

"Fuck! He's not here! Where could he be?" He asked panicked, he heard Karl sigh,

"Stop panicking, he's not a child Dream, he's borderline an adult, he'll be fine," Karl said, George silently thanked him for believing his strengths,

"But what if he's not? He said it himself this is his first year here, what if he got lost and is hurt or something?" He asked again, panic still lacing every word, he heard someone move, Karl's voice was closer now,

"Just take a breath, let's wait here until sundown, if he's not back by then we can go out looking for him, but he wouldn't like you coming to find him all worried about him when he's doing something simple." Karl said, the soft smile could be heard in his tone, "Just relax, we'll find him."

George looked around the small room he was in, a window sat in front of him, already open, and big enough for George to fit through, he took the opportunity and quiet slipped out the window and onto the soft grass outside. From there he pulled out the picture from his pocket and made his way through the edge of the forest until he was at the councilors cabin. From there he followed the directions, the tough grass, and weeds scratching at his legs, leaving his legs looking like he had battled an angry kitten. When he reached the cliff face though to his right a path appeared, the drop wasn't too far, it seemed just a little higher than the place he went stargazing the night prior, it dropped right into the lake below it. 

He made his way down the path, which was more like an area of grass that had been worn down from years of walking on it, probably from the two he read about in the letter, a heavy feeling settled in his chest as he made it into the clearing with the lagoon dead in front of him. Its water was crystal clear, a light blue that made everything underneath it an oceanic glow. 

Behind him, Ace of Hearts Redbud trees lined the edge of the forest, the bright pink of the buds contrasted nicely with the deep green of the forest, the lagoon was deep in the middle, but around the edge was a lip, the water rose just about knee high when standing on it. Curious, George slipped off his shoes and hesitantly stepped down onto the lip of the lagoon, it was warm, which was strange since this area was covered by trees overhead, blocking out the sun. The material beneath him felt like sandstone, he confirmed this by bending down and easily breaking off a small piece of sandstone, he stepped out of the water and to the edge of the cliff face, this area was slightly higher than the previous, the sun was starting to set, casting a golden light upon his figure. To any onlookers, they would say he looked heavenly, but he quickly can to the realization of the time. Karl said he had until sundown to reappear at the cabin, he cursed himself under his breath and quickly pulled on his shoes running back to the campsite, which was a lot closer now that he realized where he was going.

He ran up the steps to the cabin and took a second to catch his breath before slowly opening the door and heading inside.


	9. Chapter 9

"George! There you are!" Karl's soft voice cut through the quiet cabin, the two other boys nowhere to be found, 

"Hey," George says lightly, Karl closes the book he was reading setting it next to him on Georges bed,

"I told the other boys that you'd be back, but they didn't listen and left about 15 minutes ago," Karl explained, George nods and sighs, running a hand through his hair, "Where'd you go anyways?"

George shook his head and sat next to Karl, resting his forehead on the other shoulder, Karl wraps an arm around him and rests his head on George's. They sat like that for about 10 minutes before the door swings open.

"George!" Sapnap yells, a millisecond later he was tackled by the boy onto the bed and was held tightly, he chuckles slightly and hugs the boy back, wrapping his arms around his neck, "Don't you ever do that again!"

He eventually let go and slipped off the bed to sit on the floor, resting his head on Karl's knees. Dream pulled George to his feet and tightly wrapped his arms around the smaller boy's waist, George smiled and wrapped his arms around his neck and hid his face in his shoulder. 

"Please don't do that again, you scared the hell out of me," He says quietly, George nuzzles slightly into the crook of his neck,

"M' sorry," George says lightly, Dream shakes his head and runs a hand through the brunette's hair, 

"It's ok, just please don't do it again," he says, he then chuckles and rests his chin on the smaller boy's head, " If you do I might just have to hold your hand every time we go outside."

"You already do that though," Sapnap says laughing, Dream shakes his head and pulls away from George, resting their foreheads together,

"Don't scare me like that, ok?" He says, George feels his face heat up slightly as he nods, Dream smiles and lets George go,

"Welp now that we got that sorted out, where'd you disappear to anyways?" Karl asks, George just dismissively shakes his head and sits back on the bed next to Karl, Karl taps his wrist to signal later, and George nods.

The light sound of a bell goes off outside signaling dinner, Karl stands up and takes Sapnaps hand, quickly pulling him out the door. George starts to follow but is stopped by Dream grabbing his hand, he looks back at him with a confused expression. Dream pulled him back into his arms and hugged him tightly again, George runs his hands through Dreams dirty blond hair, seeming to calm the distraught boy, Dream sighed lightly and kissed his shoulder.

"I'm sorry for last night..." He said lightly, George lightly pulled him back so he could look Dream in the eye,

"You didn't do anything wrong, you needed someone for comfort and I'm glad I could help you," George says, smiling lightly at him, Dream gave him a slight smile back,

"Tell me, honestly, did you disappear today because of something I-" George cut him off by placing his thumb over his mouth,

"You did not do anything wrong, I got distracted by a pretty flower and wandered off, it's my fault, not yours," He says resting his forehead against Dreams, he sighs and nods looking away from George, "Hey, look at me."

Dream returned his gaze to George hesitantly, George gave him a warm smile and kisses his cheek lightly, Dream smiled and turns his head into George's palm, leaving a light kiss in the middle.

"Ok, I believe you," Dream says lightly, George smiles and wraps Dream in a tight hug one last time before lightly taking his hands and pulling him outside where the two other boys stood waiting,

"Took you long enough, let's get going," Karl said with a wink, George rolled his eyes and the four made their way to the mess hall.

Dinner was uneventful, but the thought of that Kiya person plagued his mind. He knew the camp had wifi, how else would the librarians' computer work? Or how would the camp leaders connect to parents on the website during the summer? His mind flashed to a piece of paper set next to the librarians' computer, some code written on it, that must be the password. George was pulled out of his thoughts by Karl tapping the table in front of him.

"George?" He asks, worries laced his voice, George hummed in acknowledgment, "We're going back to the cabin now, you ready?"

"Actually I was going to head to the library quick, some nights it takes me a while to fall asleep, and having a book with me would be nice." He lied, Karl nodded

"The library will be open till midnight so you have a few hours to look, though the librarian won't be there to ask for help, and if you do find something you just have to put down the name of the book and your name. Want me to go with you?" Karl explained, George shook his head, "Alright, just hurry back to join us ok? And please don't disappear again."

George chuckled and waved the boy off to catch up with the other two, he sighed and waved goodbye to the others sitting at the table and walking out. George's mind went back to Kiya as he makes his way across the open area to the library, the door still unlocked but the librarian making their way out. They let the boy through and shuts the door behind him, George stood by the front door, his mind caught on a piece of paper sitting next to the computer. 

He took a deep breath before slipping behind the desk, he took a sticky note from the desk and quietly took a pencil out of the cup, fearing someone was in the building with him. He slowly wrote down the password making sure to get it perfect before slipping the note in his pocket and slipping out the door.

He cursed under his breath for forgetting to grab a book and slipped back into the building, a tall brunette stood at the counter writing on a piece of paper, he looked up at the sudden noise of the door closing.

"Oh, hello," He says, George waves slightly and the boy goes back to writing, glancing at a book every few seconds, George started to walk past him before the boy spoke again, not raising his eyes, "I know what you did, I don't know what you plan to do with it though, no electronics are allowed in here, but whatever."

"You don't care?" George asks, instantly regretting his words,

"Nah, if you had an electronic you would've gotten the password the first day you got here or tried to get it during a meal, at least you're a little smart, don't get caught and I won't tell, simple as that." He said, George, nodded and grabbed a random book off the shelf, "Book name?"

"Great Gatsby," George says lightly, gazing down to the book in his hands, the boy nods and sets down the pencil in his hand,

"Names Wilbur by the way, we met yesterday," He says holding out his hand, George shakes it and nods, "Now get out of here, I'm sure Dream is worried about you, he seemed really worried earlier when you weren't with them when they got back."

The two boys laugh and head their separate ways to their cabins, George entered and saw Karl and Sapnap laying together on the floor and Dream waiting for him on his bed, he smiled when he noticed him.

"You find a good book?" Dream asks, holding his arms out for George to climb into his lap, he nods and sits in his lap pressing his back into the tallers chest. 

Dreams arms wrapped around George's waist holding him close, seeming to not want to let him go. He set the book down next to them and turned to hide his face in the crook of Dreams neck, making the other laugh slightly. His mind still swam with questions, overthinking each possibility until the facts and fiction became intertwined.

A new thought popped into his mind, a dark one, what if Kiya, never made it out? No, they had to have, they had to make it back, they just had to. George quickly dismissed it, his knees subconsciously pulled up to his chest in a defensive manner as he continued to replace the bad with good. Of course they made it out, they had to get back to Kade, they made a promise, they have to keep that promise, surely they kept the promise, of course they did.

George was pulled out of his thoughts suddenly, the lights had been turned out, Karl and Sapnap had moved to Sapnaps bed, Dream had laid down with George protectively tucked into his side. George sighed and pressed himself more into the warmth, closing his eyes once more, sleep slowly taking him into a shallow restless sleep.


	10. Chapter 10

George was the first to wake up the next morning, still tucked into Dreams side, the morning light danced across his chest which calmly moved up and down as he slept. He slowly slid out of Dreams grasp and sank to the floor on his knees, his head resting on the bed as he slowly pulled the note out of his pocket and quietly slipped it into his box. He blindly grabbed some clothes out of his duffel bag and made his way into the curtained-off room in the back of the cabin, the window he escaped from yesterday was now closed. He slipped on the black t-shirt, dark gray shorts with blue tracing the stitch lines on the sides, and white socks, quietly he slipped his old clothes next to his bag before pausing, the box catching his eye again. 

He takes a second to think before grabbing a black sweatshirt and slipping it on, he quickly slipped his phone and the paper into the pockets and hiding the box again, he slipped a water bottle into his sweatshirt pocket as well and grabbed his tennis shoes before stepping out onto the front porch of the cabin, careful not to disturb anyone as he closed the door. He pulled on the black hightop converse and headed out down the main path towards the mess hall, Wilbur stood at the end of the path stretching in the sun, he seemed to notice George's presence and turned to face him, giving him a warm smile.

"Well look who it is, good to see you again," Wilbur says with a small laugh, his accent thick from sleep, "Where's the rest of your cabin?"

"Snuck out again," George says smirking, making both boys laugh,

"You going to help with breakfast?" Wilbur asks, George shakes his head,

"Nah, there was something I found yesterday that I wanted to check out today," He explains, Wilbur nods,

"Don't get lost and be back for breakfast, and this'll stay between the two of us," Wilbur says with a wink, George nods, and the two wave goodbye to each other as George heads towards the councilors cabin.

George sighed and hid in the treeline right behind the cabin, hidden from every area. He pulls his knees up to his chest and carefully takes his phone out, unlocks it, and inputs the password, and almost instantly connects to the internet. He quickly turns on his VPN and opens a private tab on google, he hesitates slightly before typing out 'Michigan conversion camp'. Preparing himself for the worst, George closes his eyes and takes a deep breath before clicking on one of the first news articles, titled "Solar Flare controversy".

"Camp Solar Flare in Lansing Michigan under fire this weekend as many kids have spoken out about 'handsy' camp councilors. Four camp employees have been let go this weekend and more are set to be let go, as more kids speak up about experiences they've had over the summer. We approached the owner of Solar Flare and got this, 

' All of these kids are working over their problems, I know none of my workers are sex offenders! However, to keep our families happy I have to let some of them go. Between the two of us, all these kids are delusional, I mean they're here cause they need to be fixed, it's more likely that they are projecting on my sweet workers, rather than them being sexual towards the kids. I know the people who work here like the back of my hand, and none of them would ever do this kind of thing, I mean, I have my own little ones here all the time, and they love it! Now would little kids really like it here if there was something wrong with the people who I put in charge of them? No, the kids here just need a new conversation method, as soon as we find that, they'll realize that projecting onto innocent people isn't right, and God won't stand for it.' 

The camp is still under investigation, and many speculate that Solar Flare won't be open next summer, but only time will tell. Until next time, bye for now."

George clicks off the article and quickly into another from the same publisher, this one titled "Solar Flare Revisited". Before he could read any further a twig snaps, sounding about a few feet in front of him. He has just enough time to slip his phone away before a woman steps out in front of him.

"Hey darlin', you ok?" Her southern accent heavy, George slowly nods, avoiding eye contact with her, "What you doin' sittin' here alone then?"

George just shrugged, gathering up just a little bit of courage to look her in the eye, it was the camp founder, Andrea, he believed. She gave him a warm smile and chuckled slightly.

"You're Mr. Davidson, right? I hear you gave your cabin-mates quite the scare yesterday, tell me, where did you go?" She asks, George sighs and scratches the back of his neck,

"I found a pretty flower and got separated from the path, when I was trying to get back I found a small body of water, and I got distracted for a little while." He lied, well, half lied, Andrea nodded,

"How did you end up getting back?" She asks, George shrugs,

"I found a trail and made it back, simple as that." He lied, she just nodded again and stood up,

"Well, breakfast is about to start, how 'bout you come with me and we'll get you back." She says standing up and holding out a hand, George nods and takes her hand standing up.

They make their way back to the mess hall, as they head inside, George's eyes instantly land on Dream and he heads towards him, sitting down next to him, he sees Dream smile lightly and of his peripheral, and wraps an arm around his shoulders.

"What'd I tell you about disappearing on me?" His tone was teasing, making George roll his eyes and chuckle,

"I'm not a child Dream, I can take care of myself," George teased, making Dream scoff and roll his eyes,

"Oh come on now George, you love it when I'm overprotective of you," He shot back, George just shook his head and turned away, a light blush covering his cheeks,

"You're so stupid," George said, Dream laughed lightly and pulled George closer into his side, and George thankfully pressed himself into the warmth. 

A beat of silence passed before Andrea's booming voice silenced the noise of the mess hall.

"Good Morning Campers! It is currently 9:30 a.m. which means it's time for the daily activity! Today's activity is kind of like hide and seek, one member of your cabin will be searching for a specific item in the forest, the other members will be trying to find them and stop them. We will be playing two rounds today and two tomorrow, that is if the weather works with us. Hiders have been pre-determined by me and the other staff members, if you only have three cabin mates you can choose to either skip this morning's round or skip tomorrow's second round. An item will be passed out to each of the hiders now, make sure now to let your other cabin mates see it! This round will last until lunch and this afternoon's match will last until sundown. If time runs out before the hider can bring back said item then the others win, if they succeed then the hider wins. The prize for this challenge has to do with cabin chores, if you win the first round, next week you don't have to do chores, and if you win the second round that next week you don't have to do any of that week. Items can range from flowers to rocks, to gems, to jewelry, anything really. Any questions?" She finished, in that time Karl had been handed a piece of paper which Sapnap was trying to peak at, but failing, "Alrighty then Campers! Hiders, the game starts when you step off the mess hall deck, and this round ends at the lunch siren, good luck!" With that Karl was up and gone almost instantly, surprising Sapnap who almost fell face-first onto the bench. We quickly followed after him, and our game began.


End file.
